The podcast discusses five lesser-known facts.
1. In 1910, prior to Halley's Comet's approach to Earth, a news article claimed that the comet's trail contained a poisonous substance called cyanogen cyanide, sparking widespread fear. However, the majority of astronomers disagreed with this claim.
2. Cats do not think humans are stupid or inferior. They interact with humans in a similar way to how they interact with other cats, using the same communication systems. Cats also have distinct ways of showing affection, such as rubbing against people, which they typically reserve for those they consider equals.
3. Mackinac Island in Michigan has prohibited the use of cars and other motor vehicles since 1898. This decision was initially made due to concerns about the safety of horse-drawn carriages. The island's residents and tourists rely on bicycles and horses for transportation, creating a unique and environmentally friendly atmosphere.
4. An episode of the TV show "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" was banned due to its depiction of a school massacre, which coincided with the real-life Columbine massacre in 1999. The episode was not explicitly graphic but was considered insensitive to the victims' families and survivors.
5. The TV show "The X-Files" had an episode called "Home" that was initially banned due to its graphic content, including a scene of a live baby being buried and a disfigured woman being kept as a slave by her sons. The episode's controversy led to it becoming one of the most famous and remembered episodes of the series.
Here are the key facts extracted from the text:
1. Stephen Hawking was a fan of the apocalypse and thought that a natural event like a volcano or flood could kill humans.
2. In 1910, the New York Times published an article claiming that Halley's comet's trail contained a poisonous substance called cyanogen cyanide.
3. Camille Flammarion, an astronomer, was quoted as saying that the gas in Halley's comet's trail could extinguish the human race.
4. However, most astronomers did not share Flammarion's opinion, and the gas would likely decompose and dissolve in the atmosphere.
5. People began to buy gas masks and prepare shelters in response to the perceived threat from Halley's comet.
6. Some people sold "anti-commet" pills, which were actually placebos, to profit from the situation.
7. The idea that cats see humans as "big, stupid cats" is a misconception and was not actually said by the person being quoted.
8. Cats use the same communication systems with humans as they do with other cats, but this does not mean they think humans are cats.
9. Cats interact with dogs in a similar way, using behaviors like purring, kneading, and rubbing.
10. The island of Mackinac, Michigan, has a law that prohibits the use of cars and other motor vehicles.
11. The island has an airport and allows bicycles and horses as modes of transportation.
12. The use of horses as transportation in cities was once a major problem due to the large amount of manure they produced.
13. The "Great Horse Manure Crisis" was a real issue in the late 19th century, with streets filling up with horse manure and urine.
14. Henry Ford's invention of the car was seen as an ecological solution to the horse manure problem.
15. An episode of Buffy the Vampire Slayer (Season 3, Episode 18) was banned due to its content, which included a school shooting plot.
16. The episode was filmed just before the Columbine massacre and was not aired out of respect for the victims' families.
17. The episode of The X-Files titled "Home" was also banned due to its graphic content, including a scene where a live baby is buried.
18. The episode was later aired on Halloween with a warning label, and it has since become one of the most famous and remembered episodes of the series.